much if you were perfect, george. i quite like the imperfect george lopez. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. >> i appreciate you very much. thank you. that was a lot of fun for me. >> oh, well, thank you. of course, george's show "lopez tonight" weeknights at midnight eastern on our sister network tbs. that's all for us tonight. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com tonight, america speaks. >> let's get out of this mess that we're in. regardless of who got us here. >> just get it done. hello, washington. are you listening? >> if the president decides to reach an agreement with us, the democrats most of them will fall in line. >> guess not. >> caving in your [ bleep ]. >> that's a cop. think that's bad? same cop, another stop. another bleeping rant on a citizen. >> i'll kill every one of you mother [ bleep ]. >> there's more where that came

from. now the citizens fight back. >> as we explore our new segment cnn anchor don lemon appears not to care for cnn. >> what is jon stewart talking about and why did stephen colbert interrupt one of my broadcasts. >> i'm in the middle of a broadcast. >> yeah, who isn't? yeah, hold on, sanjay. >> i'll explain that and more in the news tonight. good've evening, everyone, i'm don lemon. u.s. senators are on the job. the high stakes standoff over raising the nation's debt ceiling has lawmakers working this very hour. as of now, they don't agree with they're making any progress. tonight cnn has learned that mitch mcconnell is in direct contact with the white house and democratic leaders in congress met face to face with the president late this afternoon. but just a short time ago on the senate floor, senator harry reid insisted that claims a deal could be near are simply not true.

>> today the speaker republican leader held a press conference to announce they're in talks with the president and that a bargain to raise the debt ceiling is in the works and is close. mr. president, members of the senate, that's not true. i just spent two hours with the president and vice president and leader pelosi. and it's fair for me to say that the engagement there is not in any meaningful way. the speaker and republican leader should know merely saying you have an agreement in front of a few television cameras doesn't make it so. >> the fact of the matter is that the only way we will get an agreement before tuesday is to have an agreement with the president of the united states. the only person in america of the 307 million of us who can sign something into law. and i'm more optimistic than my friend the majority leader. we've both talked to the president today. talked to the vice president several times. i think we've got a chance of getting there. >> well, house members are gone for the day, but the senate is

in session. and they could be there deep into the night. you're looking at live pictures now. let's get right to our congressional correspondent kate bolduan, so what is the latest there at the capitol and does it look like senators will be casting votes after midnight? >> at the moment, they are heading towards that. i can tell you what we are seeing all day long and you perfectly set it up right there, don. a lot of what we've seen today is mixed signals really coming from key negotiators in whatever kind of end game compromise will eventually come out. mitch mcconnell, the top republican in the senate, key to any end game compromise announced today he is now in direct talks with the white house, speaking directly with the president as well the vice president today. he said he's been speaking with the white house all afternoon laying out what they can accept in terms of an eventual compromise. but almost as quickly as that happened, we heard from the top democrat in the senate, harry reid, had had just come from the

meeting at the white house with the president saying that if they were not any closer to an agreement. so, we've been obviously tracking that throughout the day and they are saying that publicly, but what is going on behind the scenes is that there are negotiations going on behind the scenes and they are clearly working feverishly to try to meet some compromise to beat the deadline, but as it stands right now, the senate is heading towards a 1:00 a.m. vote late this evening which is the first test vote on the proposal to raise the federal debt ceiling put forth by senate majority leader harry reid. unless something changes, he would have to overcome a 60-vote filibuster threshold and it does not appear unless something changes that he has that vote, but it is a test vote, and he is moving forward wit at thh it he don. >> and i want to tell you right now that senator harry reid is on the floor right now and we want to listen to him and see if he says anything and if he does indeed talk about coming to a

vote later on this evening. again, you say it does not appear he has the votes. what happens if he does not get enough votes here? >> well, this is one of the confusing kind of procedural, procedural procedure ns that yo have to go through this the senate. and if he does not overcome this vote, the legislation does not go anywhere. in is a few test votes that are lining up if it would pass this vote, another vote monday morning as the schedule is told to me right now, and then it would be for final passage if you will on tuesday, but hates to first overcome this vote to go any further, and right now it does not look like he has the votes. just yesterday 43 of the 47 republican senators came out opposed to the bill. >> yeah. kate bolduan, stand by, because it is a long night for all of us and the folks working there in washington. our brianna keilar is on duty as well. brianna, republican leaders say

they are in contact with the white house. what can you tell us about that? >> well, what we do know is very vague, don, and i have to tell you that. the white house at this late hour is not silent, and i can tell you that, but it is sort of unclear exactly what this means. we know that back and forth is going on between the white house and capitol hill and while we heard earlier senate majority leader harry reid being pessimistic on the outcome perhaps of some sort of deal here imminently, we have also heard from the senate mi thnori leader mitch mcconnell, and what they are hearing from the white house today is is very, very silent and the discussions continuing to go on and we are waiting, certainly, because we know that there are discussions that if perhaps something could happen tonight, don. we know it could be possible and i hate to be so darn vague about it, but it is also true that it might not be possible this evening, although there is a whole flurry of activity that we

haven't seen recently going on following these flurry of votes on the hill today and last night. >> brianna, listen, did you say that the white house has not been silent about this? or what are they saying? >> well, what i mean is that people have not gone to bed here. people here are working. there is discussions going on, and behind the scenes, but in terms of details of what it all means, that, you know, it is very vague, don, and so we are still kind of waiting to see exactly what the indications may be. >> thank you, brianna. we are going to senator harry reid now. >> mr. speaker, there are negotiations going on right now at the white house about negotiations of the debt ceiling of the white house, and there are many elements to be finalize and still a distance to tgo before any arrangement can be completed, but we need to give everyone as much room to do their work. i have spoken to the white house

quite a few times this evening, and they have asked me to give everyone as much time as possible to reach an agreement if one can be reached. for that reason we will hold over the vote until tomorrow at noon when we can talk and we will come in tomorrow at noon at 12:00, and i am glad to hear this cooperation and compromise and hope it bears fruit. i hope that we can adopt a long-term approach rather than the band-aid approach of the house of representatives will be reached. i am confident that reasonable people from both parties should be able to reach an agreement. i believe that we should give them time to do. so mr. president, i ask unanimous consent cloture consent for the vote be taken

place tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. >> is there any objection? hearing none, it is so ordered. >> and the decor rum. >> the clerk will call the roll. that is senator reid asking for the vote to be put off until tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. eastern time and he said that the senate should adjourn and come in to convene tomorrow at noon, noon tomorrow, so they can vote at 1:00 p.m. our brianna keilar is standing by and kate bolduan is standing by, but right now i want to bring in senator kay bailey hutchison from texas. we are here with breaking news and you heard what senator reid had so say. earlier mitch mcconnell read a letter signed by republicans including you opposing senator reid's bill, and has anything changed your mind on the bill and listening to him moments ago? >> no, not at all.

i think that the reason that he has pulled that down is that there are 43 committed against his proposal, however, what he is saying is that he hopes that we can start having a vote on something that is an agreement between both the white house and congress, both sides of the rotunda and he wants to not have a repudiation of his proposal and instead going on to one that might have a chance to pass. >> okay. okay. let's talk about this. today, "the new york times," senator, put you on a list of republicans most likely to approve a compromised bill and you have been vocal on the need to compromise and here is what you said on the senate floor thursday. >> the senate majority leader and the house speaker have put forward plans. i believe that we must find a common ground between the house and the senate with the proposals that have been put

out. >> so have you actively been pushing for compromise in these proceedings today? >> oh, i certainly have been actively pushing for us to come to an agreement that will lift the debt ceiling with real tax cuts -- not tax cuts hopefully, there would be some cuts in the tax provisions through reform. but spending cuts as well as bringing the debt ceiling, lifting it dollar for dollar at least. >> let me ask you this, senator. you're not running for re-election in 2012. so the political pressure is essentially off. does that is free you up to compromise in a way that many of your colleagues won't or can't? >> no, i don't think so. i'm not going to compromise, for instance, would not vote for lifting the debt ceiling without real cuts in spending that would assure that we're not going to have to just lift the debt ceiling and get further into

debt without a way forward to cut back on spending. i would not do that whether i'm running again for re-election or not because i do think it's wrong for our country and would send a terrible signal to the markets. >> okay. if we're talking about compromise here, which most of the polls show americans want, they want compromise, is there in your summation any way that the tea party or republicans can further compromise? >> absolutely. i do think that if we can come together on real cuts, which i believe there has been a groundwork laid to do, that everyone or not everyone but certainly 90% of the senate and the house would support lifting the debt ceiling as long as there are cuts commensurate with that. i do think that is an area where we can come together, and it is the fallback position i would hope that we would go forward then in the next six months, which is in both the house and senate plans, and come up with further cuts in entitlements and

reform in taxes that would produce revenue the old-fashioned way which is by spurring the economy and putting people back to work. >> senator, i thank you for coming on and not giving talking points. i appreciate that. i have to go because we need to get to some developing news with kate bolduan, but if you could answer questions. revenues as you have called them or taxes -- off the table? >> new taxes are off of the table. tax reform is not off of the table if we lower the rates and put people back to work and get more revenue, because there are fairer and simpler tax codes that people can understand and will encourage employers to hire people back. >> senator kay bailey hutchison, i appreciate it. i want to go to kate bolduan. you have been working your sources and getting information.

you heard harry reid there right after i spoke with you earlier. what have you learned. >> for viewers, we can note that at this late stage in the game anytime one of these key players talks, we listen very carefully to their words. i'll say at this point, especially as we heard some pessimism in the voice of harry reid earlier today, this does appear to be a positive step. i don't want to go as far as to say you know, very, very significant. but this is a positive note from what he announced a few moments ago. we do have the sound bite and why don't we listen to that one more time, don. >> i've spoken to the white house. quite a few times this evening. they've asked to give everyone as much time as possible to reach an agreement if one can be reached. for that reason, we'd holdover the vote till tomorrow at noon. >> he also said i think right after that, don, we should give everyone as much room as possible to do something along the lines to do the work that they need to do. so clearly, to me, this appears to be a positive step. he's holding the vote which he could have had it this evening

at 1:00 in the morning as you and i discussed. at this point he wants to give people more time, more room to do the work they are doing, and possibly obviously continue these negotiations and continue these talks. the senate is now adjourned. they are goog be back in at noon with a vote scheduled at 1:00 p.m., so it will be very interesting to see how things develop in the morning before they come back in for this vote. n't this appears like it could be a positive step especially coming from the man who earlier today seemed clear that he didn't think that they were any closer to an agreement. so if i could be so bold as to say, they are leaving the door open to negotiating. >> he is a bit more optimistic, was pessimistic earlier. thank you very much. earlier i discussed the debt stalemate with the senator ben cardin of maryland. he had strong warnings for his republican colleagues as he has strong concerns about the

consequences of a potential default. >> also bringing us dangerously close to a national default. they've already hurt our country as far as our reputation is concerned. so look, i think what they're asking for is unrealistic. a constitutional amendment that won't work the way that they would like to see it done. additional cuts in spending programs that affect our most vulnerable. look, we need a compromise. and what we're seeing so far come out of the house of representatives from the republicans is that they're not interested in compromise. so let's sit down and work this out. quite frankly, i think that's going to happen in the senate. i've talked to enough republican colleagues to know that we are talking about a true compromise so that we can move forward and not threaten the debt of this nation. >> all right. that was senator ben cardin, democratic senator ben cardin. i want to the go to brianna keilar. brianna, you have new information on why this

happened? >> well, don, i just think it's important to lend some contempt to really what this allows. we now throughout today a lot of the discussion following the votes on capitol hill about really the negotiations of a potential deal have been between the white house in the form of vice president joe biden and senate minority leader mitch mcconnell who spent years together in the senate very familiar with each other and biden, of course, led those biden talks that went on for months and sketched out a framework between democrats and republicans. i think it's important to note just in how things could play out or really what this means with the delay in the vote. but delaying this vote in the senate from what would have been 1:00 a.m. sunday morning to 1:00 p.m. sunday by 12 hours, would allow time should there be some discussions, some movement toward some agreement between the white house and senate republicans, it would allow time for the bill to be amended. this is something that's very important and i'm hearing this from democratic and republican sources that it would allow time

for that bill to be amended if some sort of framework would be worked out. i think it's also important to take note that one of the big issues that the white house has had with the house republican plan and what's really been seen as an area that needed to be negotiated and really could be the thing that could lead to a break-through on a deal is this idea of if you're going to have a two-part increase in the debt ceiling that would take the debt ceiling through the next election, november 2012, it was really how you tied that second increase in the debt ceiling after several months. the white house senate democrats didn't like the way that the house republicans were doing it. they felt it would have led to some chaotic situation like we have seen with all of this back and forth over the debt increase and they would have seen it again around the new year and they didn't want to do it again. they are looking at that sort of seam, if you will, in the context of the framework to maybe work it out in a way that

is more amendable to the white house and democrats. >> brianna keilar for us at the white house. cnn is dedicated to providing you up to the minute coverage of the debt crisis and tomorrow night, we will bring you a special report beginning at 9:00 p.m. eastern. wolf blitzer and i will break down all of the hurdles, and the obstacles to get it done, countdown to the debt crisis. we are not going away from this story and watching capitol hill and the white house where it is going to be a long night at least and we know now that they are going to convene tomorrow at noon and they will vote at 1:00 p.m. eastern. they are packing up to go home, and also at this hour, my conversation with congressman rand paul about the stalemate, and this. >> you need to get two steps back and i will pull my glock and put [ bleep ] in your back.

>> and a police officer threatening a motorist and not the first time he has been caught on camera. we will talk about the video that has gone viral with media analyst holly hughes. you can also talk to us on cnn.com/don or four square. host: could switching to geico really save you 15% or more on car insurance? host: do people use smartphones to do dumb things? man 1: send, that is the weekend. app grapgic: yeah dawg! man 2: allow me to crack...the bubbly! man 1: don't mind if i doozy.

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in canton, ohio, some residents are demanding a suspended police officer be fired. dashcam video you're about to see appears to show the officer threatening to shoot people during traffic stops. here's eric mansfield of wkyc. >> some two steps back, pulled my glock 40 and just put ten bullets in your [ bleep ]. >> it was posted one week ago. already it's an online must see.

canton police officer daniel harlis berating a driver who appears to be trying to show him his concealed carry license so harlis would know he was armed. >> i'm so close to caving in your [ bleep ] head. >> now comes a second video. >> i'll kill every one of you [ bleep ]. >> this one from a year ago. >> i'm telling you what [ bleep ], i will shoot you in the face and go to sleep tonight. >> as harlis's temper again flairs while instructing two people in the back seat of a car during a traffic stop for suspected drunk driving. >> it looks like we're seeing repeat behavior. it's a disturbing pattern. >> phillip mulivor is with a group calling for harlis's job. >> in both cases, this officer's behavior is egregrious. he needs to be removed at once. >> in both cases, the officer is encountering a gun during a traffic stop which is always a perceived threat for police. now it's up to police brass to determine what's acceptable.

>> you mother [ bleep ]. get the [ bleep ] before i shoot you. >> eric mansfield reporting. the canton police department release this had statement "the officer was relieved of duty and has not worked since the incident. it is being fully investigated." criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor holly hughes had a lot to say about this case when i spoke with her about it just a short time ago. >> i don't mind an officer using profanity, don. i don't mind his temper is flaring. but when he starts threatening to kill citizens to shoot them in the face, to put them in their grave, calling them morons and idiots and liars he's gone over the edge. now we will see an officer who cannot control his temper. that's a crime, don. if a citizen said to another citizen, i will shoot you in the face and is holding a weapon, has access to a weapon, that is

a te erroristic threat, a felony charge. so this officer has gone beyond the pale when he starts threatening. >> if you were defending this officer. >> yes. >> what would you do? >> if i were defending him, the first thing i would say is, they lied to him right up front. there was a gun in the back of that car. the driver admits hey, i just got out of jail or prison three weeks ago. and the officer says what for? guns and drugs. so naturally, the officer is on high alert. his adrenaline is pumping. it's a rush. they say to him, no weapons in the vehicle? and suddenly there is one, i would defend him by saying this man was in fear for his life and felt like something terrible was going to happen and this is duress. he did not intend to levy a threat against these people. his temper got away from lim but he didn't unharness his gun. he didn't pull it. he didn't brandish it. >> if you were prosecuting him you would say? >> he has gone too far. he can't handle his temper. he can't control it. what is next, don, after you call these people stupid, threaten to put a bullet in their head, what is going to stop that anger? what is going to rein that back in and keep him from pulling the

gun and from pulling the trigger? if i was prosecuting him, i would absolutely say this is an officer out of control, and he does not need to be on the street with a weapon in miz hand. >> officer daniel harliss has not been charged with a crime but is on paid leave from his job while these are investigated. in the midst of the debt crisis, millions of americans are also facing poverty. when we come back, we'll profile the work of two students to you touring the country to show us what that looks like. u.s.a.a. auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation, because it offers a superior level of protection and because u.s.a.a.'s commitment to serve the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. u.s.a.a. we know what it means to serve. how'd you learn to do that? what'd you use? every project we finish comes with a story built-in.

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time now for what matters. you're partnership with "essence" magazine. more than 43 americans live in poverty according to the latest figures from the census bureau.

as of june, more than 14 million americans were underemployed. some college students armed with cameras are traveling across america to document the faces of poverty. i spoke with amanda james and shelby bryant who shared compelling stories and images. >> what have you learned? shelby? >> honestly the thing that i've learned, the thing that i'm taking away from this most is the story is that of struggle actually have a light lining around them. everything has a fire basically. everyone that we are meeting has a positive outlook. >> the stories we found of struggle have so much strength. that's been one of the things that's been eye opening for both of us. >> absolutely. >> when we were in baltimore, it was the first day of our trip. and we met women who were single moms living one of the more rough areas of baltimore in the neighborhood of druid heights. one of the women we're interviewing invited us back to

her neighborhood. >> when is the last time you heard about like someone you know getting shot or robbed or -- >> murdered? last week. >> we got to see what it's like for her living a daily life in an area where she doesn't feel safe to walk around with her children. yet, she has decided to overcome the external environment and believe that it's her internal environment, not where you live or what you look like on the outside that matter. it's the inside. >> just overcoming the obstacles. people your age you would think that they were -- if you watch the reality shows that are on now especially, you would think most people your age are wealthy and driving around in these fancy cars and their parents have a lot of money. you know what i'm talking about. >> right. >> that's not the reality of what's happening all across america, right? >> this is definitely a step away from the private universities that we both went to. >> and that also hasn't been another surprising part. we come from very different backgrounds than everyone that

we've been spending time with but we have been welcomed with open arms. that has been inspiring to see sort of this strength and humanity and this openness and acceptance of people who are just wanting to share their stories with us. >> a man who lost his job due to the economy is now in a homeless shelter. >> i've never been in this position. i'm used to having my own place. >> that was mark. >> yeah. mark's story, he has this very deep voice that almost sounds like it has an echo. >> used to working, paying my own bills. >> all of his years have had so much struggle. there's something so defining about his voice. when we were spending time with him at that shelter, we met him in pittsburgh. he said he has a close relationship with his children. he had a job. he's 47 years old. he's never had to depend on anyone else. but he was working for a subcontractor, the subcontractor couldn't afford to pay him anymore. he lost his job and got behind in his rent. you know, that could really happen to anyone.

>> what do you have advice for people who are watching, especially your age? >> i would say from a personal perspective, living that sort of comfortable life is much more predictable than the life we've been living on the road for the best three weeks. this has been the best three weeks of my life. >> going to neighborhoods i typically wouldn't drive through or spending time with people who i don't typically you know interact with for three weeks at a time has been more of a learning experience than being around people who are so similar to me in college. so -- >> i couldn't recommend it more. >> thank you, amanda, and thank you shelby. appreciate it. >> thank you so much. the tour is part of a program called no nonsense socks for america which donates socks to kids in need. if you want to follow their tour or help out, you can visit their website at socks for america.com or go to facebook and search for no nonsense socks for america. you know, we're watching capitol hill right now and the white

house tonight as lawmakers continue to try to resolve the debt crisis. the senate was facing a late night of debate but has just changed its plans. we're also following other news tonight, including two dozen assault rifles stolen from of all places a u.s. military base. you don't see the this every day. a jet plane split in half. the amazing stories of survival straight ahead. [ jon ] we don't just come up here for the view up in alaska. it's the cleanest, clearest water. we find the best, sweetest crab for red lobster we can find. yeah! [ male announcer ] hurry in to crabfest at red lobster. the only time you can savor three sweet alaskan crab entrees all under $20, like our hearty crab and roasted garlic seafood bake or snow crab and crab butter shrimp. [ jon ] i wouldn't put it on my table at home, i wouldn't bring it in. my name's jon forsythe, and i sea food differently. so i wasn't playing much of a role in my own life,

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>> you should know that what you're doing in washington is affecting everyone on the streets. each -- so many people i talk to every day, including myself. you know, we're really wrestling with the economy. >> americans voicing their concerns about what's going on in washington. breaking news in the debt ceiling debate to tell you about. senate majority leader harry reid has stopped tonight's expected vote on the debt ceiling proposal. the vote is expected sunday afternoon at 1:00 eastern time. mitch mcconnell is negotiating with the white house. democratic leaders met with the president earlier today, as well. also in the nation's capital, teachers rallying against standardized testing. >> this is what democracy looks like. >> they marched to the white house carrying signs with slogans like children are more important than test scores. and i am not the problem.

the group says emphasizing standardizing testing takes the focus away from students. actor matt damon also joined in on that rally. federal agents are appealing to the public for information about assault rifles stolen from ft. irwin in california. the atf is offering a $10,000 reward for information on 26 assault rifles and one sniper rifle stolen earlier this month from an army warehouse. one weapon has been recovered and some arrests have been made. dna evidence is taking center stage as young american -- a young american woman appeals for her murder conviction in italy. amanda knox was convicted of killing meredith kercher in 2007 but insists she didn't do it. a forensic expert testified today that no dna was found on the alleged murder weapon. which is a kitchen knife. that contradicts testimony by forensic police experts during knox's trial.

after today's session, the court adjourned until september 5th. it is hard to believe when you look at this, but the 163 passengers and crew aboard this caribbean airlines plane are okay today. the boeing 737 was unable to stop after it landed at an airport in georgetown, guyana on a flight that originated in new york. the plane careened into a grassy patch and broke in two. several passengers were taken to the hospital with only minor injuries. meet the latest british royal newlyweds. queen elizabeth's granddaughter zara phillips tied the knot with the rugby player mike tindall in edenburg today. prince william and catherine and harry and princess anne and the bride were among the guests at the private ceremony. tonight, there is a reception at queen elizabeth's palace in scotland and in something of a royal precedent, zara phillips will keep her surname. a look at a couple of primetime moments for me this past week but they didn't happen here on cnn.

clips from my time on comedy central thanks to jon stewart and stephen colbert coming up next. but first, broke and bills piled high. many americans find themselves facing just that. when people in one wisconsin community are hit with hard times, they've got a unique safety net. he's this week's cnn hero, sal dimicelli, the dear abby of the down and out. >> when i go through suburbia america or the small towns, everybody's trying to hold their head up with pride. >> you've been looking for work. >> okay. i know it's tough in a recession. >> i went and sold all my jewelry yesterday. >> these people behind closed doors, they tell their neighbors they're fine. they'd sooner go in the house and starve. >> how much do you owe me right now? >> gas bill i owe about $800. >> i find the situation is getting worse. they need food. they need help with their utilities. i mean, this is 2011 in america? we should be helping each other. i'm sal dimiceli.

my mission is to help americans who have fallen on hard times. in a week i'll receive 20 to 30 letter. me and my family do not want to become homeless. >> i want to verify it's genuine and get to them as quickly as possible. >> i know right now it's tough for everybody. we'll be here for you and help you out. i tell them how i grew up in poverty and how i understand. here's $100 for gas. >> i help people with necessities of daily life and at the same time, i get them together to do a budget so they can continue to survive. i brought this for you so i can go get your wedding band back. >> oh, my god. >> i want them to feel free of that pain. >> i'm so happy. >> thank you. >> i want them to feel the compassion that we're trying to share with them, to wrap our arms around them and say come on, i have a little extra strength i want to share with you. let's get you back on your feet.

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oh, my god. he's not a difference-maker. he's a vampire. >> this story just got good. go get 'em, don. >> well, patrick rogers, i have to say you're a hero to a lot of people. thank you for coming on. let us know what happens.

>> no, don, ask him about being a vampire. you see the little teeth right there? those are vampire teeth. he's got the -- let's get him. >> when you're in the news business and you suddenly realize the daily show and the colbert report are showing a clip of you, you cringe and hold your breath and hope they won't mock you too hard. imagine my surprise when i saw this on tuesday night. >> as we explore our new segment, cnn don lemon anchor appears not to care for cnn. cnn, i'm concerned. it appears your anchor don lemon may not care very much for the antics of your network, cnn. behold. >> even parts of canada are sinfully hot. >> a little warmer up here than where i'm used to into nothing to joke about this. it is dangerous and as i said, nothing to joke. >> he is the cato to my green hornet, the dyno girl to my electrowoman. i have no idea who any of these people are except for batman.

>> that may be the nicest way i've heard anyone say who writes this [ bleep ]. but the hostage situation that appears to be don lemon's tenure at cnn reached its zenith or nader here, i'm going to say both. >> one, two, three. >> oh. >> i got to tell you, i like don lemon a lot but he's going to have to work hard to top that. cnn newsroom begins right now with don lemon. >> good morning. i don't think i'm going to have to work that hard. what the heck was that? >> what do you mean what the heck was that? that was ali velshi's dopple ganger the common egg being knocked into a glass of water from a toilet paper tube. what is it, your first day in news, lemon? see, it turns out reporter don lemon prefers reporting. such stories as the uprising in syria, breach of trust in

british journalism or even some simple local interest stories. >> emily good said she recorded that video in her front yard because she was concerned about racial profiling and police harassment and do you believe this is a systemic problem with rochester police? >> you see, that is lemon's comfort zone. but don't worry, i'm sure that cnn producers are hard at work trying to fit don lemon into the format with something catchy like don lemon's zest ti news bowl. i have got one, how about lemon hara harangue. p you drive a hard bargain, sir. >> all right. we decided to go with don lemon's zesty news bowl. so a daily show had their fun now i want to show you the rest of the colbert segment involving me right after the break. almost tastes like one of jack's cereals.

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okay. so before the break, we showed you part of the "daily show" segment poking fun of my role here at cnn. the very next night after that aired, it was the "colbert report's" turn. here's stephen going after me for not asking a guest about his most noticeable trait. >> no, don, ask him about being a vampire. you see the little teeth right there, those are vampire teeth. ask him, ask him. forget it. i know what to do. come on. let's go. taxi. go.

>> and thousands of people milling around, shops open. none of that is happening now. >> sanjay, thank you very much. stay safe out there. we're going to have much more of the flooding coming up -- >> excuse me, excuse me. >> stephen colbert, what are you doing here? >> don, i have a question to ask you. >> i am in in the middle of a broadcast. >> who isn't. hold on, sanjay. did you or did you not interview a man who foreclosed on a bank? >> yes. >> did you not notice that he was vampire? >> stephen, i did notice when he started talking that he had sharp teeth. >> yes, and at no point did your journalistic instincts click in and say, hey, maybe that's a more interesting story? >> it wasn't about his lifestyle. it's about a bank. >> excuse me. i didn't realize it was a lifestyle choice. i didn't realize we had to be so sensitive and accepting of vampires. >> why are you being judgment mental? >> you have turned that man into the jackie robinson of vampires.

>> that's all i hear. >> that is offensive on a whole lot of levels. >> yes, it did. and i will not forgive you, don lemon. >> you should get out of here. >> i will get out of here. before i go, i want to say this. i truly enjoyed your book "transparent." a candid memoir that the "new york times" calls $24.95. >> comedy central, it was fun. stephen, thank you for allowing me into your studio to do that. okay. we are watching capitol hill, and the white house tonight as negotiations continue to try to rethe debt crisis. the senate facing a late night of debate just as has just changed its plans. the latest on efforts to get a deal done and get it soon. it's what you're tweeting about. coming up, my conversation with republican senator rand paul in our no talking points segment. you want to watch it next. this . [ automated voice speaks foreign language ] [ male announcer ] in here, everyone speaks the same language. ♪ in here, forklifts drive themselves.

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[ male announcer ] we believe you're at your best when you can relax and be yourself. and at thousands of newly refreshed holiday inn express hotels, you always can. holiday inn express. stay you. and now stay rewarded with vacation pay. stay two weekend nights and get a $75 prepaid card. on this debt debate, for weeks now, we have been hearing politicians come on television and give talking points from their perspective parties. and you as americans have spoken. all polling indicates that you don't want to hear talking points. you want to hear about compromise and progress. so in our broadcast tonight, we have asked all of them not to come on and repeat partisan points. one example earlier tonight was freshman senator rand paul.

i asked him if he felt the tea party had more -- had made their point, had gotten what they wanted and were overreaching by asking for more and not yet coming to a resolution. he answered first with talking points. i asked him to answer my question directly. listen. >> okay, hang on. >> there's much talk about -- >> let's stick to the -- hold on please, be respectful here. can you answer the question? we'll talk about moody's and all of that. >> i'm trying to answer the question. you've interrupted my answer. >> do you feel like you have made your point and now do you think people are going to think that you're overreaching and that maybe you're going to ruin the clout that you already have and the respect that you've gotten? >> here's the problem is i'm not trying to make a point. i'm trying to do what's best for the country and adding 7 to $8 trillion of debt over the next ten years i don't think is good for the country. >> now continue on. you were talking about moody's and our credit rating. >> my point is, my point is that

it's not really just about august 2nd. >> all right. as you heard, there was more after that, i allowed him to finish his point about the u.s. credit rating. later on, in the interview, i asked if the u.s. defaulted by not raising the debt ceiling, who would be to blame? democrats, the president, republicans or the tea party? again, he didn't directly answer my question. i respectfully asked him to do it. >> it was about a 30 minutes ago, i was on the floor and offered to vote for the reid bill. while many in the media. >> hang on one second again. >> you're in the middle of my answer. >> i know but i'm asking you to answer the question. >> here's the point. >> talking points, with all due respect i'm asking you do you feel the public sentiment in washington? >> this isn't a talking point. i'm trying to tell you what we did 30 minutes on the floor. >> i'm not asking you what you did. with all due respect, i'm asking you if the you feel what the public feels you did in washington, and do you understand how people feel about this?

>> we feel that they want compromise. i'm trying to tell you we're still trying to compromise and many in the media are trying to depict us as not. the only way i can prove we're trying to compromise is telling you we've offered up on the floor another chance to compromise. i said i'll vote for the entire $2 trillion that the president wants so he can avoid talking about this during his campaigning. >> again, i allowed him to finish his point. i didn't insist on him answering directly just because he's a conservative and a member of the tea party. in the same broadcast i implored mark moriel of the national urban league to not give talking points, and did the same thing with the democratic senator ben card ixn. -- cardin. it's not ideological to ask someone to stick to the question presented. it's just being respectful of you the viewer, the voter who deserves direct answers from the people who are fortunate enough to be given a platform on national television to speak directly to the american people.

there's breaking news to tell you about the debt ceiling debate. harry reid id has called off tonight's expected vote on his debt ceiling proposal. the vote is now expected sunday afternoon at 1:00 eastern time. republican senate leader mitch mcconnell is negotiating with the white house and that's where we go now to brianna keilar standing by. what's the latest on these talks? >> it appears that a day of negotiations between the white house and congress specifically vice president joe biden and senate minority leader mitch mcconnell, all of this sort of wrapping up for the evening. it appears people will finally be going to sleep here shortly. but it's interesting because earlier in the day, we heard republicans being positive about a deal being near. and democrats were being pessimistic. we just heard on capitol hill from the senate budget committee chairman kent conrad he said significant progress had been made today. and when senate majority leader harry reid asked if a deal could be reached tomorrow he said, don, i hope so, so it sounds like things are turning there. also, very important that the senate postponed a vote and all

eyes are going to be watching a vote this morning at 1:00 a.m. on the reid plan in the senate that was expected to fail. that has now been pushed 12 hours and the republican and the democratic sources telling me, don, that this could be a sign that it would allow reid to al make changes into the bill that could be based off of some sort of deal that can be struck, and just a reminder that the clock is still ticking towards that august 2nd deadline at midnight when the u.s. would become according to the treasury department at risk of default if congress does not increase the debt ceiling. >> brianna keilar at the white house, and thank you very much. i want the tell you that cnn is dedicated to providing you with up to the minute coverage of the debt crisis. tomorrow night we are bringing you a special report beginning alt 9:00 p.m. eastern. wolf blitzer and i will break down the hurdles and the options to getting the deal done, countdown to debt